Full Game Notes (.pdf) | NDSU Notes (.pdf)

The Basics
South Dakota (1-2, 0-0 MVFC) vs. #1/1 North Dakota State (2-1, 0-0 MVFC)
Saturday, Sept. 24 at 1 p.m. (CDT)
Vermillion, S.D. | DakotaDome (9,100)
TV: Midco Sports (Jay Elsen, Andre Fields, David Brown)
Radio: Coyote Sports Network (John Thayer, Gary Culver, Carter Woodiel)
Watch Online: Midco Sports Plus | ESPN+ (subscription required)
Series: NDSU leads 56-26-2 ... won the last five and 24 of 26 dating back to 1987

About the Coyotes:  South Dakota used a career game from QB Carson Camp to get past Cal Poly 38-21 for its first win last week ... Camp passed for 355 yards and three scores and added a 75-yd TD run ... that sparked a unit that had totaled seven points thru two games ... USD scored touchdowns on its first three possessions and got enough stops from the defense to earn the win ... RB Travis Theis is the Valley's fourth-leading rusher ... LB Stephen Hillis has emerged as USD's leading tackler ... CB Myles Harden has accounted for all four turnovers forced by the defense (2 FF, 2 INTs) ... TE JJ Galbreath is coming off a 6-catch, 87-yard performance ... specialists John Bickle (P) and Eddie Ogamba (K) are new to the starting lineup

About the Bison:  NDSU has won nine of the last 11 FCS championships ... the Bison's latest came in a 38-10 win over Montana State last January ... NDSU didn't need much effort to get past lowly Drake and North Carolina A&T at home in weeks one and two, but Arizona, an underdog at home, was up to the task ... the Bison haven't lost back-to-back games since 2009 ... RB Hunter Luepke carried a total of seven times thru the first two wins ... he ran 18 times for 115 yards and two TDs and also caught a touchdown against Arizona ... QB Cam Miller passed for 219 yards against USD last year

Quick Hits
-USD and NDSU met in the final game of the Valley schedule last season in Fargo
-USD is playing its MVFC opener at home for just the second time under Nielson (7 years)
-The Coyotes had a string of four consecutive conference-opening wins snapped last year at Missouri State
-Left tackle Alex Jensen is the reigning MVFC Offensive Lineman of the Week
-QB Carson Camp moved into eighth place on the Coyotes' all-time passing list (3,832 yards). RB coach Dante Warren is seventh (4,361).
-LB Brock Mogensen (203 tackles) surpassed 200 career tackles during last week's game
-USD has forced four turnovers and CB Myles Harden is responsible for all of them
-South Dakota's last win in the series was a 24-21 victory inside the Fargodome in 2015
-The Coyotes are facing the toughest FCS schedule in the nation this season

The Notes
North Dakota State returns to the DakotaDome for the first time since 2018 and for just the fourth time since a wild, four-overtime South Dakota win in 2002. This MVFC opener is a rematch of last season's Valley closer – a 52-24 NDSU win in Fargo. The Bison marched to a 28-0 lead and outgained the Coyotes 522-293.

Neither running back expected to start Saturday played a factor in last year's meeting in Fargo. South Dakota's Travis Theis took just one handoff before leaving the game with an injury. He is the fourth-leading rusher in the Valley thru three games. North Dakota State's Hunter Luepke didn't appear at all in last year's matchup due to injury. He is an all-American back who can make a run for the Walter Payton Award this season.

Defending NDSU's ground game is always the key. When South Dakota beat Carson Wentz and the Bison in 2015, the Coyotes limited NDSU to 125 yards rushing and 320 yards total. In the five matchups since, the Bison have averaged 363 yards on the ground alone and 590 yards overall. They've averaged no less than 6.4 yards per carry in their last five wins against South Dakota.

Maintaining drives and scoring points against the NDSU defense is the other side of the coin. Arizona managed to do both of those things in pulling a 31-28 upset against the Bison last week. The Wildcats scored on five of their 10 possessions and ran out the final 2:48. South Dakota scored three second-half touchdowns against NDSU in last year's meeting after totaling 14 points in each of the prior three games against the Bison.

South Dakota's offense got rolling in last week's win against Cal Poly in the Coyotes' home opener. Quarterback Carson Camp passed for a career-high 355 yards on just 21 pass attempts and had a 75-yard touchdown run on the third play of the game. He was named College Football Performance Award's National Performer of the Week, an honor he shared with Delaware quarterback Nolan Henderson. Camp completed 21-of-27 passes for 196 yards with two touchdowns against one interception last year against NDSU.

South Dakota has beaten a ranked team every year since 2013. The Coyotes beat three ranked teams a year ago in North Dakota, UNI and South Dakota State.

Head Coach Bob Nielson announced last week that he has taken over playcalling responsibilities for the Coyote offense. USD mustered one touchdown and a field goal attempt on 27 possessions against elite units from Kansas State and Montana. Twelve of those possessions were 3-and-out. South Dakota scored on six of 12 possessions against Cal Poly last week with two 3-and-outs.

Carson Camp recorded his first 300-yard passing game since the COVID-shortened spring season in 2021. He essentially hit his first 18 passes against Cal Poly with one dropped pass the lone exception. A pass that was batted down at the line with 10 minutes to go was his first to not hit his receiver.

Camp has hit 13 different receivers through three games. Tight end JJ Galbreath, who has earned extended snaps with an injury to Austin Goehring, is coming off career-highs of six catches for 87 yards. Galbreath leads the team with 10 catches for 150 yards. Wesley Eliodor, who caught nine passes all last season, has seven catches for 124 yards and a score this season. He hauled in a 40-yard touchdown pass from Camp in the first quarter of last week's win.

One connection yet to get going this season is Camp to Carter Bell, the Coyotes' leading receiver last year with 41 catches for 673 yards and five touchdowns. Bell caught two passes for 18 yards in the season-opener against Kansas State. He was targeted six times against Montana and once last week against Cal Poly, but was held without a catch. Bell entered the Montana game having caught a pass in 17 consecutive games.

Camp has entered the Coyotes' all-time passing list. He ranked just outside the top 10 last week, but surpassed Tom Engelman, Kevin Earl and Mark Jenkins to move into eighth place with 3,832 yards. Just seven quarterbacks in program history have reached 4,000 yards. Current assistant coach Dante Warren is seventh on the all-time list with 4,361 yards. Jason Seurer is sixth with 4,759 yards.

South Dakota returns four of five starters to its offensive line, but those four have yet to be on the field at the same time this season. Preseason all-American Alex Jensen missed the season opener, but returned against Montana. Starting center Joey Lombard was injured in the second half at Kansas State and has yet to return.

Injuries have also impacted the Coyote defense. Starting linebacker Jakari Starling was injured in the season opener and hasn't returned. Cornerback Da'Raun McKinney was unable to go last week against Cal Poly. Leading tackler Stephen Hillis was injured in the second quarter last week and did not return. Preseason all-American linebacker Brock Mogensen played with a cast last week after injuring his hand against Montana.

In addition to Hillis, a shining star on the Coyote defense this season has been cornerback Myles Harden, who has returned from a broken leg suffered halfway through last season. No one in the nation has forced more fumbles than his three and two of those were recovered by the Coyotes. Only five players in the nation have more interceptions than Harden's two. Harden had a career-high nine tackles against Cal Poly and is USD's third-leading tackler with 22 stops, which include 4.0 for loss.

Newcomer Michael Scott, a graduate transfer from Akron, has stood out from his rush linebacker position. He got his team-leading third sack of the year last week against Cal Poly and ranks 14th nationally in that category. Scott is USD's fourth-leading tackler with 20 stops.

Safety Josh Manchigiah has more experience than anyone. He played in more than 50 games at South Dakota State the last five seasons. He started the first two games of the season and recovered a fumble that ended Cal Poly's first drive last week in the home opener.

Veterans DeValon Whitcomb and Jackson Coker have graduated on the defensive line. Young stars Nick Gaes, Brendan Webb and Micah Roane return. Blake Holden is poised for a larger role at tackle after competing in five games last year and redshirt freshmen Earl Miller Jr. and Dominic Caggiano have made their collegiate debuts along the line this season.

For the first time in Bob Nielson's 30 years of coaching, a special teams player has been voted a team captain. That player is all-American long snapper Dalton Godfrey, who doubles as an academic all-American. Godfrey is working with two new specialists this year and both are seniors. Eddie Ogamba, who transferred from Iowa State prior to last season, has won the kicking duties. John Bickle, who had success at Division III Wheaton College last year, is the punter.

South Dakota was one of 10 FCS teams that returned both a kickoff and punt back for a touchdown during the regular season last year. Wesley Eliodor had a 99-yard kickoff return against Missouri State. Carter Bell had a 47-yard punt return for a score against North Dakota State. Bell sprung a 45-yard punt return last week against Cal Poly.

South Dakota improved to 18-2 in home openers since 2003. The Coyotes were 4-2 at home last season and are 155-83 (.651) all-time inside the DakotaDome, which came online in 1979.